The Queen Will Always Protect Her King
by HeyAssButtImBatman
Summary: In chess, the queen is the king's main defense. She is the most important piece, commander of her army and the target of the opposing player. And in life, the queen's role doesn't change. A Sabriel AU


**FYI, Dean and Gabriel talk to each other in code mostly**

In chess, the queen is the king's main defense. She is the most important piece, commander of her army and the target of the opposing player. And in life, the queen's role doesn't change.

"I believe that is a checkmate," Gabriel said, moving his rook three spaces to the left. Sam, who sat in the high backed armchair across from him, smiled.

"I don't know why I even try," he said. "I've never beaten you at this game."

There was a knock at the door, and Captains Dean and Castiel of the Royal Guard waited for Sam to call, "Enter!" before doing so.

"Pardon the interruption," Dean said, bowing slightly, "but I was wondering if I might have a word with Queen-King Gabriel."

"Of course, Captain," Gabriel said, standing. Ha placed his hand on Sam's shoulder as he passed. The soundproof doors shut, and then the three of them were alone in the corridor. Gabriel nodded once to Castiel, who nodded back and positioned himself in front of the doors with one hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Walk with me, Your Majesty?" Dean requested, offering his arm. Gabriel linked his arm with Dean's, and the two of them started down the long hallway.

"It's a beautiful night," said the Queen-King, "for being outdoors, is it not?"

"Indeed," Dean replied. They passed by a servant, who nodded cordially to them. Turning a corner, Dean continued, "If I may ask, how is His Highness?"

Gabriel tutted. "Of course you may ask, brother-in-law. He may be my husband, but he is also your brother. And he is doing just fine, though he is beginning to develop a slight cough."

Dean's eyes widened. "Truly?" he asked. "This is not good."

"do not fret," Gabriel said. "I have the situation well under control. It's nothing that a few nights of good sleep can't cure."

They reached a large tapestry depicting a sword-wielding angel striking down a demon. Nonchalantly looking around to make sure that they weren't being watched, they slipped one at a time behind the thick curtain of fabric.

Gabriel pulled a simple golden chain from beneath his shirt; hanging from it was a small key, which he used to unlock the hidden door in front of him. He pushed it open and paused just long enough at the top of the stairs to grab one of the torches on the wall. It lit as soon as Gabriel's fingers came into contact with the smooth wood.

He and Dean descended quickly. When they reached the bottom, Gabriel used his torch to light the ten others that lined the walls of the small stone room.

In the corner sat a large wooden wardrobe, and it was to this that Dean immediately headed. Opening the door, he pulled out a few articles of clothing. He handed them to Gabriel, who nodded his thanks and disappeared behind a silk changing screen. Dean respectfully turned his back.

"How fare the nobles?" Gabriel asked as he unbuttoned his coat.

"They are mostly well," Dean replied. "Lord Azazel has fallen ill, and I fear that he might pass it on to others in his class."

"How unfortunate." A pause, some shuffling. "My boots, if you please, Captain."

"Of course, Highness." Sitting on the bottom of the wardrobe was a pair of black leather boots. Dean lifted them and placed them into Gabriel's waiting hand.

"Thank you." A moment later, Gabriel stepped out from behind the screen. His finely-tailored clothes had been replaced by form-fitting black pants and a simple black tunic. The clothes that he had changed out of were folded and placed into then wardrobe.

Dean laced up the boots and helped Gabriel into light leather armour, and then fastened two sheathes to his belt. In each sheathe was a blade, each about the length of Gabriel's forearms. Lastly, a black cloak was fastened around his shoulders. When he was satisfied, Dean led the way to a door opposite the stairwell.

They walked through it and ended up in a private stable, tended to by a man that only Gabriel, Dean, and Castiel even knew worked at the castle. The stable held only one horse. Unlike the pampered stallion that Gabriel normally rode when out in public, this mare was battle-hardened, calm and steady in the face of danger.

She nickered when she saw Gabriel, and he took a second to kiss her nose before grabbing her saddle. In less than five minutes she was ready to go. Dean walked to where Gabriel stood by his horse, adjusting his tunic.

"Gabriel," said Dean, breaking formality for the first time since the last mission he had sent the Queen-King on. "Be quick. Be careful. Come back safe."

Gabriel stood on the tips of his toes and pressed a kiss to Dean's cheek. "I always do, brother-in-law," he said. He mounted his horse and rode off into the night. Dean stood watching him until the darkness had swallowed him up, and then he turned and silently headed back inside.

… oO()Oo …

Castiel took the seat across the table from Sam. The King had grown bored and invited his guard and brother-in-law to come and play a game of chess.

"I wonder where our brothers have gone," Sam said as he meticulously placed the pieces onto the board.

"Knowing them," Castiel said, "they were distracted by such a thing as the cooks preparing tomorrow's breakfast or the castle guards mock fighting for training."

Sam chuckled. "You are right. It amazes me how two such serious people as our brothers can also be as gay and carefree as children." He placed the last pawn on the board and sat back, indicating that Castiel should have the first move. The Captain moved a knight and Sam countered with a pawn; Castiel smirked and pushed forward his queen.

… oO()Oo …

Gabriel rode hard until he reached the bridge that connected the castle grounds to the capital city of his kingdom. It was being guarded by no less than ten guards, and Gabriel knew that dozens more were in the barracks not fifty feet away. The Queen-King scowled. He hated this part.

… oO()Oo …

Sam foolishly moved his knight to within striking distance of Castiel's queen, and the Captain moved the glass piece to the right until the knight fell onto its side; he picked it up and smiled at his brother-in-law, who grimaced in response.

… oO()Oo …

Gabriel called on the magical part of his soul, the part that controlled fire - the part that would get him tried for witchcraft if his husband ever found out - and aimed a single finger at the barracks. Instantly, a flame sprung to life, growing more and more ravenous the more it fed. THe guards shouted in alarm and ran to help their comrades, and as Gabriel rode unseen across the bridge, he prayed that he hadn't just killed his own people.

… oO()Oo …

The battle was becoming intense. A few of Sam's pawns had somehow infiltrated Castiel's ranks, and were dangerously close to his king and the back row. Eyes narrowed in concentration, the Captain carefully moved his queen until it was just outside of Sam's mass of black pieces, a tantalizing target that would hopefully draw Sam's attention, and game pieces, and leave the path to his king at least a little bit clearer.

It worked.

… oO()Oo …

Gabriel finally reached Lord Azazel's large estate. He rode to the very edge of his lands and tethered his black mare to a tree. The hood of his cloak came up to hide his face and his blades slipped into his hands. He crept from shadow to shadow until he reached the back door, and then he set about making as much noise as possible to cause a distraction.

It worked.

… oO()Oo …

As one of Sam's pawns came forwards to try to intimidate the white queen, one of Castiel's knights moved two forward and one left, putting it in the perfect to take the black king.

Castiel grinned. "Check."

… oO()Oo …

The horses in the stable screamed loudly when the first few embers caught, and what Gabriel thought was most of the guards rushed out of the house to investigate the disturbance. He took advantage of their preoccupation and slipped into the large house. Using the shadows as cover, he crept up stairs and down hallways until he reached the door that led to Lord Azazel's bedchambers.

He adjusted his grip on his blades and smiled.

… oO()Oo …

Sam's brow was furrowed in concentration, his eyes narrow and his hand over his mouth as he studied the board. His other hand came up and hovered for a moment over a bishop, as if he was going to put it in front of the king and directly into the white queen's line of sight, but then he plucked the king itself from the board and moved it one space forward, into a space almost completely surrounded by other pieces. Castiel's eyebrows rose, and he nodded in appreciation.

"Good move," he said.

… oO()Oo …

"Good move," Gabriel taunted, "but, unfortunately, not good enough."

Azazel adjusted his grip on the sword he had pulled from underneath his mattress and growled.

"Reveal yourself to me, coward!" he demanded angrily. "Show me your face so that I may have you hanged for your impudence!"

Gabriel lunged, blades extended, and Azazel dodged. The older man thrusted with his sword and Gabriel parried; and the sound of steel on steel rang out in the large room.

… oO()Oo …

Castiel allowed himself to be led deeper into Sam's trap, leaving his King unaware that he was not trapping, but being trapped. In only a few short moves, the black king was in the far corner, pinned by two white rooks, a white pawn, and the white queen itself.

"Checkmate, I should think," Castiel said, and he moved his queen forward until it knocked the black king down.

… oO()Oo …

Azazel glared up at Gabriel from his place on the floor. His shortsword was behind the Queen-King, and one of his blades was pointed at the nobleman's chest. His hand came up and pushed his hood back, and he smirked when Azazel gasped and went pale.

"Queen-King Gabriel," he said in a strangled voice. "Why are you doing this?"

"The queen always protects her king," said Gabriel, "and she never reveals her finishing blow until her opponent is so confident in his own moves that he doesn't realize that he's being tricked." His countenance darkened and he leaned down. "Remember that in Hell, and know that this same fate awaits all others who think of betraying the Kings as you so foolishly dared to do."

He plunged the blade deep into the man's heart, and didn't move until he had stopped twitching.

… oO()Oo …

"I am starting to wonder," said Sam, "if it is not the skills of you and your brother that cause me to be defeated so spectacularly each time I play you, but my own ineptitude when it comes to strategy."

"Oh, brother-in-law," Castiel said fondly, "it is definitely your own lack of skills."

… oO()Oo …

Dean was waiting for him when Gabriel got back. The Queen-King handed the reins of his mare to the stable hand and followed his guard back inside.

"Any injuries?" asked Dean a he removed Gabriel's clothes from the wardrobe. Gabriel shook his head, and went behind the screen to change as Dean tended to his blades. "How fares Lord Azazel?"

"He was very ill when I saw him," Gabriel said, "but I imparted some knowledge of a cure, and he is no longer at risk of passing onto others."

Dean sighed, relieved. "That is good."

"Yes." Gabriel stepped out from behind screen, dressed in royal attire once more. "Are you ready, Captain?"

Dean nodded, and together they walked back up the stairs and emerged from behind the tapestry. As they walked back towards Sam's library, Gabriel asked, "Will tomorrow night be just as good for being out of doors as tonight?"

"Oh, no, Your Majesty," Dean replied. "Tomorrow is a day and night best spent in the castle with His Highness."

"Good." They reached the doors to the study and stiffened when they saw that Castiel wasn't where they had left him. Dean drew his sword and tried to push Gabriel behind him, but worry for his King made the Queen-King stride to the doors and throw them open, heedless of the danger. He sighed in relief when he saw both his brother and husband sitting in front of the fire.

"Gabriel," Sam exclaimed in surprise. "You were gone for quite some time. Is something the matter?"

"No, my King," Gabriel replied, walking over to the chair next to Sam's and gracefully sinking into it. "I simply feared the worst when I did not see Castiel outside your doors."

"You feared for me?" Sam asked, laughing. "My dear, is it not my job to protect you?"

"Of course not," Gabriel said. "It is always the the queen's job to protect her king. This is why you can never defeat me at chess: you are too reckless with your queen. She is your most important piece, besides the kings, and it is her job to protect him. Isn't that right, Castiel?"

Gabriel nodded almost imperceptibly at Castiel to say that his mission had been a success, and then the two of them shared secret smiles.

"Quite correct, brother."

 **I honestly have no idea where this came from. I was just thinking about chess, and Sabriel, and then this strange piece was born. Anyway, now that you guys know what was going on, think you can go back and decipher Gabriel and Dean's coded conversations?**


End file.
